Video 6:43
Terry Mills interview

Melinda JamesUpdated
Tue 2 Mar 2010, 3:53 PM AEDT

A discussion with Opposition Leader Terry Mills about Child Protection.

Transcript

MELINDA JAMES, PRESENTER: The bad news about the state of child protection kept coming this week. Yet another report outlined chronic understaffing and delays responding to the more than six thousand notifications of suspected abuse received last year. The Opposition attempted to censure all five Labor members who've held the child protection portfolio. Former Labor MLA, now Independent, Alison Anderson, supported the motion. But the Independent member for Nelson Gerry Wood didn't vote - so despite a tied result, the motion was defeated. Earlier I spoke to the Opposition Leader, Terry Mills.

MELINDA JAMES, PRESENTER: Terry Mills, welcome to Stateline.

TERRY MILLS, OPPOSITION LEADER: Thankyou.

MELINDA JAMES: You spent much of the week criticising the Government's child protection, but we haven't heard much from you about how you would go fixing it.

TERRY MILLS: Well, I think the most important message you would have heard it that we would tell the truth. Now, if you're not able to protect children, the first thing you need to do is admit that. Now what we've had in nine years terribly, is a denial and obstruction and a concealment of a core business of government, and that is to protect children. The first thing would be to tell the truth. Policy was also announced during the week that we would make sure that there would be an increase of funding as a first step. And there would be, make sure that we do follow-up on those things. But the first thing is to remove that culture, that culture that would put the preservation of political interests ahead of the protection of children. That has to stop. Tell the truth.

MELINDA JAMES: You talk about injecting nine million dollars into recruiting more child protection workers. Kon Vatskalis said this week, in response to recommendations from the Children's Commissioner that the department urgently needs more intake workers. Kon Vatskalis, the minister, said, we advertised for two positions, we didn't get any suitable applicants, so we had to fill those positions from within the department. How would you overcome those sort of challenges when the shortage of child care workers is across the board, across the country.

TERRY MILLS: Well, I'll go back to where I started, and that being, if there is responsibility borne by government, that acceptance of that primary role of bring the protector and providing that kind of leadership, you wouldn't have that, ah ... and in the absence of that what we have is the energy of that organisation is spent trying to cover itself, and you've got government passing the blame and not accepting responsibility, spending a lot of time trying to cover and conceal, rather than all of that energy being directed in one direction, and that is the protection of children, you would have dealt with one core issue and that is morale. They know that that enterprise, that core business is respected, and supported and treated humbly and respectably. That hasn't occurred and I reckon that would be a good place to start. If the culture of coverup is removed, then there would be a strengthening of morale and the result would be that greater care would be provided where it should be, and that is the protection. The next step, once having established that, would be increased revenue and you've at least got the capacity, knowing that you've changed the culture.

MELINDA JAMES: What about the other key challenge in child protection which is foster carers and foster families and the lack thereof? How would you go about finding more places to place child, to place children who find themselves at risk of harm or neglect?

TERRY MILLS: We're quite prepared to go through this process that is now been embarked upon. Granted, government has been dragged kicking and screaming to even permit a review or an investigation. We'll watch it very carefully and follow every step of that. Now we'll follow, we'll find out what comes up through that. But, once again, if you have responsibility borne by government, with the Minister, to make sure that that proper leadership is provided, then you at least have the capacity and the resources of an organisation to solve those issues. The energy ...

MELINDA JAMES: How would you get more foster carers from within the community to put their hand up to take children who are at risk of harm or neglect?

TERRY MILLS: Going back to the core issue, that being the absence of leadership, ah, if you have now leadership and genuine leadership that accepts responsibility and doesn't spend all its time trying to protect itself, and that you make sure that you then extend that level of leadership and accountability down the line, and make sure that children are protected, you'd strengthen morale, and I'm sure you've then got a system to provide proper support to foster parents and those who want to then be involved. A lot of the inquiries that have been conducted already, it's the foster parents that believe in many cases that they have been let down, they are not being communicated with, they are not being supported. You've got to start with the top, you've got to make sure responsibility is borne at the top level and then it's carried all the way through. Change that culture and then care would flow.

MELINDA JAMES: Can I move on to another topic. The Country Liberals sustained their attack on Gerry Wood and his independence this week with the four-page newspaper liftout that had in bold red print of the back of it, that Gerry Wood supports another two and a half years of this dysfunctional government. How do you think that sustained attack on Gerry Wood fits with voters, given that he is probably the most popular local member in the Territory, if you use primary polls as a measure?

TERRY MILLS: The first thing to recognise here is, our attack is on the Labor government, this appalling Labor government. That communicaton to the Territory communication, to the Territory community, was to let them know that there is an appalling outfit there that does need to be held to account. Now the other issue with Gerry Wood, it's not a question about whether Gerry is a nice bloke or not - I happen to think he is - however, we have a government there that is elected to provide real leadership and action on important issues. There was an arrangement made between Gerry and Paul Henderson and the purpose of that arrangement was to improve government. And I believe it's quite evidence, evident, that that improvement has not occurred. Now, we're holding government to account, there is an agreement that holds that government in place. The objective here to make sure that crime rates go down, that a place for the prison is found, that decisions are made, that the processes of government serve the interests of the people, and that has not occurred. There was some expectation there would be improvements. Those improvements have not been found and we have every right, I make no apology for letting people know that we are going to hold this government to account. And whatever arrangement it's made to stay in power, we're going to put that under close scrutiny, because the interests of people must be put first, that's what government is for.

MELINDA JAMES: Terry Mills, we have to leave it there, but thanks for joining us.